Senators have raised concerns over the shortage of essential vaccines in hospitals across the country.

The lawmakers said babies’ lives were at risk, adding that the shortage undermines the National Immunisation Programme and threatens to reverse decades of progress in disease prevention.

Kajiado Senator Seki Lenku ole Kanar in a statement said that there is a growing concern among parents and healthcare providers over the persistent unavailability of critical vaccines, specifically Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and Oral Polio Vaccines (OPV).

Seki sought to know the cause of the shortage of BCG and polio vaccines.

BCG and OPV vaccines are vital in protecting infants against tuberculosis and polio, which continue to pose significant health risks

“The current shortage undermines the National Immunisation Programme and threatens to reverse decades of progress in child health and disease prevention, particularly in vulnerable communities,” Seki said.

Human resources

Seki wants the Ministry of Health to provide details of the steps being undertaken to resolve the shortage.  

Senate Majority Whip Boni Khalwale (Kakamega), while supporting Seki’s statement, said that following the Covid-19 pandemic, the government established the Kenya Biovax Institute that was supposed to preside over the manufacture, packaging and commercialisation of vaccines.

“The Senate Health Committee should tell us the amount of investment that was put into the establishment of the Kenya Biovax Institute. They should also tell us the human resources in that Institute and also tell us how much success has been achieved out of the envisaged functions of the institute,” Khalwale said.

He went on: “I am saddened that the children of the poor in this country are now going to be brought down by polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, which are preventable illnesses.”

Beatrice Ogolla (nominated) said there were three major things that the founding fathers promised to tackle; disease, ignorance and hunger, adding that after over 60 years of independence, Kenya is still tackling disease.

Meanwhile, Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga announced over the weekend the purchase of over 6 million doses of vaccines to address the shortage of essential childhood protective medicines.

This includes 3.2 million doses of polio vaccine, expected to be distributed to the hospitals today.

This comes even as Kenya’s co-financing obligation to the Global Vaccine Alliance- Gavi for the financial year 2024/2025 of approximately Sh1.6 billion is yet to be paid, and it’s not even factored in the 2025-2026 budget as the June 30, 2025 deadline beckons.

Oluga revealed that 3 million doses of the BCG vaccine, are also being cleared at the port, and set for mass distribution across the country at the end of this week.  

BCG is essential for prevention of tuberculosis (TB) and other infections caused by bacteria such as leprosy among others.

The PS acknowledged that the country is currently facing significant challenges in maintaining sufficient vaccine stock levels, which in turn is affecting immunization efforts across the nation.

Oluga assured the public that the vaccines will be distributed in all healthcare facilities across the 47 counties by mid-June.

Supply bottlenecks

He revealed that the government has a two-week stock buffer level of BCG and polio, while the Rotavirus is available for the next month.

‘’Notably 12 out of 47 counties have completely run out of vaccine stock which underscored the need for the urgency of the situation,’’ he stated.

He attributed the low vaccine stock levels to a combination of factors with the most significant being global vaccine supply bottlenecks that are affecting several countries including Kenya.

To address the looming crisis, the PS emphasized that the Ministry is actively redistributing available vaccine stocks in collaboration with county governments.

“The cooperation of county governments and healthcare facilities is crucial in managing the vaccine shortage,” Oluga said.